Books

The gentle, old-fashioned animal stories of Thornton W. Burgess, told with great warmth and charm, draw young readers into the timeless world of the creatures who live in the Green Forest and around the Smiling Pool. In this engaging episode, Bobby Raccoon suffers a series of mishaps. Following a bad dream, he bites his own tail, is given a dreadful fright, survives an encounter with Buster Bear, gets a terrible shaking and more, but, happily, is rescued by Peter Rabbit and eventually finds a new home. Reset in easy-to-read type and enhanced with six new illustrations adapted from originals by Harrison Cady, The Adventures of Bobby Raccoon will delight today's young readers while offering gentle lessons about nature and wildlife.

A plump little meadow mouse is always an inviting target for hungry hunters in the Green Meadows. This certainly should give Danny Meadow Mouse enough cause for concern; but lately, he's been worrying about something else — his short tail! In fact, he wants so much to have a different tail that he almost forgets to take care of the one he has. Danny spends much of his time avoiding the likes of Hooty the Owl, who drifts effortlessly above him in the open air; Reddy Fox and old Granny Fox, who stalk him as he races through snow tunnels; Mr. Blacksnake, who silently slithers after him through the grass; and other pesky predators. Youngsters will enjoy reading and listening to the adventures of the plucky vole and his friends as they explore Farmer Brown's orchard, the Old Briar-patch, and the enchanting world of the Green Forest. The text has been completely reset in large, easy-to-read type and Thea Kliros has adapted six black-and-white illustrations from the originals by Harrison Cady.

Even in the peaceful, sun-splashed world of the Green Forest, the Laughing Brook, and the Smiling Pool, trouble sometimes makes an appearance and disturbs the lives of the animals living there. And so it is in this charming story about Jerry Muskrat and his friends Little Joe Otter, Spotty the Turtle, Grandfather Frog, and Billy Mink. First, Farmer Brown's boy has set nasty traps all around the Smiling Pool and that spells trouble for Jerry and the other creatures who live in and around the Pool. Wise old Grandfather Frog must think long and hard to come up with a solution for that problem. Then, suddenly, the water in the Laughing Brook stops flowing and before long, the Smiling Pool drops to alarming levels. Something must be done, but what? Children will love finding out as they read or listen to this classic Thornton W. Burgess fable, which combines the fun of a good story with important lessons about kindness, stick-to-itiveness, cooperation, and other virtues. Six full-page illustrations, based on originals by Harrison Cady, enhance the text, newly reset in large, easy-to-read type.

Something strange is going on in the Green Forest! Sticky-toes the Tree Toad hears his own voice coming from another tree, yet he hasn't said anything. It seems that Sammy Jay is keeping everyone awake by calling "Thief, thief!" but he swears he was asleep. And Unc' Billy Possum is certain that he heard a friend from the South, although he can't find him. How will they get to the bottom of the mystery? A classic tale of mischief and forgiveness, this edition includes illustrations by Harrison Cady.